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en-usEngadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronicsCopyright 2018 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/23/jaybird-freedom-wireless-earbuds/https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/23/jaybird-freedom-wireless-earbuds/https://www.engadget.com/2016/05/23/jaybird-freedom-wireless-earbuds/#comments

True to its word, Jaybird's latest wireless sport earbuds are making their debut in the first half of 2016. The company's $200 Freedom in-ears are now available and I've been putting them through their paces for the past few days. This new model follows Jaybird's popular X2, adding customized sound through a companion app and an accessory that could end your battery woes. It's that mix of sound and features that makes the Freedom a worthy competitor when it comes to fitness-focused in-ear headphones.

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avearbudsfitnessfreedomgearhands-onheadphonesin-earjaybirdjaybirdfreedomlogitechsportstl17wibudwirelessMon, 23 May 2016 03:01:00 -040021|21381301https://www.engadget.com/2016/01/05/jaybird-freedom-x3-wireless-earbuds/https://www.engadget.com/2016/01/05/jaybird-freedom-x3-wireless-earbuds/https://www.engadget.com/2016/01/05/jaybird-freedom-x3-wireless-earbuds/#commentsJaybird's line of wireless in-ear headphones has become a popular choice for listening to music during a workout. At CES 2016, the company has two new models: Freedom and X3. While both offer wireless connectivity, the MySound companion app is perhaps the most appealing feature for both. The software allows you to customize the audio based on your listening habits: You can tweak the EQ as well as save settings to the Jaybird Freedom earbuds so that no matter which device you're listening from, your sound profile is there. In other words, the settings are synced on the headphones, and Jaybird says it's the first to offer the feature on wireless sport earbuds.
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appavces2016customsoundearbudsfreedomgearheadphonesinearinearheadphonesjaybirdjaybirdfreedomjaybirdx3mysoundmysoundappTue, 05 Jan 2016 00:01:00 -050021|21290007https://www.engadget.com/2015/06/24/apple-music-pharrell-indie-labels/https://www.engadget.com/2015/06/24/apple-music-pharrell-indie-labels/https://www.engadget.com/2015/06/24/apple-music-pharrell-indie-labels/#comments

Pharrell Williams has announced that his upcoming song Freedom will be exclusive to Apple Music, the first of no doubt many such announcements to come. The news isn't a huge surprise, considering that the track was featured at Apple's WWDC 2015 developers conference during the Apple Music launch. It's still a coup for Cupertino, however, considering Pharrell's "Happy" was the number one US single last year. Williams made the reveal via a short video teaser on his Facebook page, which noted that the song would arrive "only on Apple Music" on the service's June 30th launch date.

​At CES -- the world's largest tech show -- the intrepid reporter faces many challenges. Most of them involve sleep (lack of), nutrition (lack of), human beings (abundance of) and coffee (usually lack of, but often, taste of). As such, it's very important that you don't go and add to that list of problems with some form of self-sabotage: the wrong cables, poor coffee choices, no backup power and, crucially, a P.O.S. bag. You and your bag are going to become close friends over the week, so it pays to get one that'll do the job, with a minimum of fuss.

Iran's current approach to internet censorship typically isn't subtle -- either you get unfettered access, or (more often) you don't see a site at all. However, the country's government is about to take a more measured approach to blocking online content it doesn't like. It's deploying "intelligent filtering" that tries to restrict only the material deemed "criminal or unethical," rather than cutting off an entire service. The smarter filter is only active on one social network (most likely Instagram) as part of a test phase, but it's expanding to more sites within the next six months. Ultimately, the nation wants to use this technology on "all networks."

I've been holding onto this screenshot for the better part of the year for a time when the world entire would need a jolt of City of Heroes to get it through the next day. I think that today is that day. Behold! A superhero!

Reader Michelle said that she was still traumatized by the game shutting down: "This particular screenie was of my last 50. He was a Fire Armor/Electric Melee tank named Demolition Companion. He was a clockwork that the Resistance attempted to reprogram but didn't complete, so he was broken (hence why he was on fire all the time) and very, very dangerous. In this shot he's standing in the sewers ready to wipe out some Resistance scum. (He was one of my only Loyalists.) I wish I'd gotten to RP him more."

Want to be featured in a future edition of One Shots? Send your favorite MMO screenshots to oneshots@massively.com, and don't forget to include your name, the name of the game, and a description of the scene. Large, colorful, UI-free shots that tell a story and really show off the game make for the best images. Look ma, we brought back One Shots!
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bring-back-one-shotscity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxculturef2pfree-to-playfreedomgalleriesgallerymiscellaneousncsoftone shotsone-shotsparagonparagon-studiospics-or-it-didnt-happenreader-screenshotsreader-submissionsscreenshotscreenshotssuperherosuperheroesuser-submissionsWed, 24 Dec 2014 10:00:00 -0500319|21005220https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/ncsoft-might-allow-players-to-resurrect-the-city-of-heroes-ip/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/ncsoft-might-allow-players-to-resurrect-the-city-of-heroes-ip/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/09/02/ncsoft-might-allow-players-to-resurrect-the-city-of-heroes-ip/#comments

The proposal currently on the table before NCsoft would allow the game's spiritual successors to drop the "spiritual" portion of their title, enable a restoration of the game's servers for the last update (albeit with no saved character data), and create the potential for a "transition" server between the original game and its successors. While it's far from a done deal, it's the best news that the former residents of Paragon City have heard since the lights went dark -- there may be brightness on the horizon.

If you're reading this, you probably enjoy open internet access as a matter of course. However, other countries aren't quite so liberal. How do you know where you're truly free? IVPN's new interactive censorship map might just answer that question for you. The site lets you click on a given country to quickly learn about its tendencies to block free speech online, attack critics and shred anonymity. Not surprisingly, very authoritarian governments like China, Cuba and Iran don't score well -- they tend to insist on real names when you post, and will throw you in prison for challenging the internet status quo. Many other countries, like Russia and Venezuela, walk an awkward line between freedom and trying to crush dissent.

Instead of spending gobs of volunteer development time and money on City of Heroes knock-offs, wouldn't it be better to simply acquire the real deal? That's the thought behind a fan effort to purchase the rights to the superhero MMO from NCsoft, while proving to the publisher that the team has the talent and capability to handle the property.

According to a poster named Ironwolf on the Titan Network message boards, progress is being made on this front. Ironwolf wrote the following on August 13th: "I did contact the team yesterday and got this reply back: Things are moving along. We should have things worth showing fairly soon, made a great leap forward yesterday."

The efforts to purchase City of Heroes started in early March, according to a timeline on the same thread. On March 12th, Ironwolf noted, "Got letter back from [former NCsoft executive] Chris Chung -- it showed that is WAS possible to buy the game." On April 5th, he wrote that the general range of the price is "very doable."

Yes, the internet does exist in North Korea -- it's just that most users are trapped within the country's virtual confines, unable to access most websites outside their ISP's walled garden. According to BitTorrent monitor ScanEye, though, some do get to bypass the country's security and end up downloading various TV shows, as well as (to nobody's surprise) American and Japanese porn. Aside from the inevitable pornography, the 178 downloads traced from North Korea include Top Gear, Britain's Biggest Hoarders, HBO documentary Manhunt: The Search for Bin Laden, and even games like Angry Birds and Far Cry 3. All these activities were traced from a single neighborhood in Pyongyang (NK's capital), where you can find the headquarters of the country's mobile network provider.

The Humble Store is currently hosting a particularly patriotic event, dubbed the DRM Freedom Sale, to celebrate the Fourth of July. The sale features games like Broforce, Surgeon Simulator 2013and Retro City Rampage, discounted by up to 85 percent.

Not only can you feel free to use the money you'll save on some sweet explosion-rockets, but you can feel good about yourself too, as 10 percent of the proceeds go to charity.

You might want to hurry though; like a red, white and blue firework in the night sky - this deal will only exist for a short while. At the time of writing, there are just more than three hours left.

Every one of us has an "MMO resume": a list of titles that we've played, whether briefly or extensively. Some of those are just games, casual flings that meant nothing. But others can take a more meaningful role in our lives, influencing how we experience and view MMOs.

I would scarcely say that my resume is one of the most robust you'll ever see; I'm sure plenty of you have played more than I. However, I like to think that I've had a journey over the course of a decade or so that's shaped who I am as a gamer. Since it's my birthday today, I'm going to share 10 of those influential MMOs with you and what they've done for me. You're going to get me cake.
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activisionanarchy onlineanarchy-onlineaoblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-villainsclassic-mmocohcovcoxddodungeons and dragons onlinedungeons-and-dragons-onlinef2pfallen earthfallen-earthfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomfuncomguild warsguild wars 2guild-warsguild-wars-2humormiscellaneousncsoftopinionp10paragonparagon-studiosperfect tenperfect-10perfect-tenroundupsci-fistar wars: the old republicstar-wars-the-old-republicsuperherosuperheroesswtorthe secret worldthe-perfect-10the-perfect-tenthe-secret-worldtop-10top-10-listtop-tentop-ten-listtswwarwarcraftwarhammer onlinewarhammer-onlineworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftwowSat, 31 May 2014 16:00:00 -0400319|20883301https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/29/the-daily-grind-is-there-an-mmo-youre-too-wary-to-play/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/29/the-daily-grind-is-there-an-mmo-youre-too-wary-to-play/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/29/the-daily-grind-is-there-an-mmo-youre-too-wary-to-play/#comments

Ever since City of Heroes was abruptly and unjustly sunsetted, I've toyed with the idea of giving Champions Online another spin. It can never be everything City of Heroes was to me, but it has a lot of the same ideas behind it, and it's closer in spirit and gameplay to my beloved CoH than the admittedly few other superhero options on the table.

But Champions Online has been so spottily supported by its developers over the last few years that I have a nagging suspicion I'd just be wasting my time, that the game is locked into a cycle of decay that will only frustrate me in the long run if I invest too much time, money, or emotion into it. And that's enough to keep me away.

How about you -- is there an MMO you'd like to play but that just makes you too wary to actually jump back in? What specifically is holding you back?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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brianna-royce-tdgchampionschampions onlinechampions-onlinechampscity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-villainscocohcovcoxcrypticcryptic-studiosdaily-grindf2pfree-to-playfreedommiscellaneousmmo industryncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwesuper-herosuperherosuperheroestdgthe daily grindthe-daily-grindTue, 29 Apr 2014 08:00:00 -0400319|20872824https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/28/city-of-titans-updates-trailer-for-city-of-heroes-10th-birthday/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/28/city-of-titans-updates-trailer-for-city-of-heroes-10th-birthday/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/28/city-of-titans-updates-trailer-for-city-of-heroes-10th-birthday/#comments

Today would have been City of Heroes' 10th anniversary, believe it or not. And while fond memories and colorful screenshots are all that remain of the former superhero MMO, the spiritual successor City of Titans is being built to fill in the void that was left behind.

Missing Worlds Media, the team behind City of Titans, released a new version of the teaser trailer for the Kickstarter project on this solemn occasion. It mostly consists of concept art and unpainted models being plunked down to make a city, but if you're looking to the future for your superhero fix, it might be an early glimpse at your future home. Give it a watch after the break.

[Update: Not to be outdone, Heroes and Villains also released new work-in-progress screenshots of its own spiritual successor to CoH in honor of the original's anniversary.]
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10th-anniversary10th-birthdayanniversariesanniversarybetasbirthdaycity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-titanscity-of-villainscohcotcovcoxcrowdfundingf2pfree-to-playfreedomindiekickstartermissing-worldsmissing-worlds-mediancsoftparagonparagon-studiossuper-herosuperherosuperheroesteasertrailersvideoMon, 28 Apr 2014 19:00:00 -0400319|20877036https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/25/working-as-intended-change-for-changes-sake-in-mmos/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/25/working-as-intended-change-for-changes-sake-in-mmos/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/25/working-as-intended-change-for-changes-sake-in-mmos/#comments

MMORPGs struggle to meet two contradictory goals: They want to provide stability, permanence, a world you feel you can always come home to, and they want to provide dynamism, change, a world that always has something fresh and new. Lean too hard to one side -- change too much or too little -- and the backlash from fans and former fans and future fans can be overwhelming.

That's something Blizzard has never learned. With World of Warcraft, Blizzard is constantly chasing different demographics to maximize its playerbase, and those different demographics typically want different things out of the game, be they veterans or returnees or hardcores or casuals. Most of the game's expansions have retooled combat and classes and specs in some way, but in Cataclysm, and now again in Warlords of Draenor, the class revamps have been so far-reaching that they actually manage to turn off both veterans and returnees. Gamers, it seems, are willing to tolerate only so much dramatic change to their precious characters before rebelling.

It's no secret that many of the more successful Kickstarter projects over the past few years have heavily capitalized on player nostalgia, brand names, and former dev gods who are back for another round. The formula for drawing in the big bucks seems to be the following: Take something players hugely loved back in the day, dangle the concept of a sequel (spiritual or otherwise), and promise some measure of iterative improvement.

I once wrote about how we really can't go back again to recreate a particular game experience because it was usually a confluence of several factors that were related to where the industry was then and where you were then. I'm not saying that there isn't value to retro gaming, playing classic MMOs, or involving the past in future development! But there is a danger in how we as gamers become so beholden to our nostalgia that we dare lightning to strike twice -- and we're paying big bucks to see that happen.

But can we? Will it?
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avatarbrad-mcquaidcamelotcamelot unchainedcamelot-unchainedchampionschampions onlinechampions-onlinechampschris-robertscity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-villainscity-statecity-state-entertainmentclassicclassic-mmosclassicscloud-imperiumcloud-imperium-gamescocohcovcoxcrowdfundingcrypticcryptic-studioscsef2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgame-archaelogistinternet-spaceshipskickstarterlord-britishmark-jacobsmiscellaneousncsoftnostalgiaopinionpantheonpantheon-rise-of-the-fallenpantheon-rotfpantheon: rise of the fallenparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentprotfpvppwerichard-garriottrise-of-the-fallenrotfrvrsandboxsci-fishroudshroud of the avatarshroud-of-the-avatarsotaspaceshipstar citizenstar-citizensuperherosuperheroesthe game archaeologistthe-game-archaeologistvisionary-realmsSat, 12 Apr 2014 16:00:00 -0400319|20859540https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/02/soes-georgeson-on-eq-eqii-and-city-of-heroes/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/02/soes-georgeson-on-eq-eqii-and-city-of-heroes/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/04/02/soes-georgeson-on-eq-eqii-and-city-of-heroes/#comments

IGN has released another snippet of its recent interview with EverQuest franchise lead Dave Georgeson. Earlier today Georgeson talked up his enthusiasm for virtual reality, while this latest cut focuses on EverQuest, EverQuest II, and City of Heroes.

Yeah, you read that right, as apparently the late great superhero title was one of Georgeson's personal faves. "Everybody who plays any MMO never wants it to die," he says. "You invest a little bit of your soul in an MMO, you spend a lot of time in it and so on and so forth, so of course you never want one of them to die."

As for EQ and EQII, Georgeson says that SOE has "no intention of ever shutting those games down."

The web has changed a lot in the 25 years since Tim Berners-Lee first proposed its underlying technology, and not entirely for the better -- censorship, reduced net neutrality and surveillance are very real concerns. Berners-Lee and a host of partners are fighting these threats by launching Web We Want, a campaign pushing for an internet bill of rights in every country. The initiative asks you to start a discussion about the web you'd like to see, and to draft a matching set of rights. It's also fostering education efforts, offering small support grants and rallying groups at critical moments. There's no certainty that Web We Want will make a tangible impact, but it should provide a stronger voice to advocates of a free and open internet.

Last week a package arrived for me, sent by the incomparable Beau Hindman. He had been clearing out some of his old gaming paraphernalia, and when he happened on his old City of Heroes disks, something spurred him to offer them freely to anyone in the team who wanted them. I gratefully accepted. Ever since they arrived, they've dominated my thoughts, despite some highly dramatic events in the time since, weighty and uplifting alike. It's a game that just keeps inspiring acts of generosity and kindness.

I started playing CoH on the very day it went free-to-play, but it struck a chord with me nearly instantly. I soon found it had an amazing community on top of everything the developers were responsible for, and that's when I fell in love. It went from "that old game probably no one plays anymore" to "the best MMO I have ever played" to "the cancellation that broke my heart" in all too short a time. Fortunately, the example set by the incredible community and its determination to carry the torch helped to mend my coronary fractures. As much as there is to learn from all aspects of MMOs, the single most important element will always be community. I can think of no finer example to look to than CoH.
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city of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-titanscity-of-villainscohcolumncotcovcoxcrowdfundingculturef2pfeaturedfield journalfield-journalfield-tripfree-to-playfreedomheroes-and-villainsindieits-the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it-and-i-feel-finekickstartermatthew-gollschewskimissing-worldsmissing-worlds-mediammo industrymmorpgncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosso-long-farewell-auf-weidersehen-goodbyesunsetssuper-herosuperherosuperheroestourvaliance-onlineThu, 27 Feb 2014 14:00:00 -0500319|20835668https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/05/world-of-warcraftless-what-would-the-world-look-like-without-wo/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/05/world-of-warcraftless-what-would-the-world-look-like-without-wo/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/05/world-of-warcraftless-what-would-the-world-look-like-without-wo/#comments

This year is a big one for World of Warcraft. It's the 10-year anniversary of the game's launch, meaning players have been able to enjoy themselves in Azeroth for quite a while. The franchise itself is turning 20, meaning it's almost old enough to legally drink. And whether you like the game or not, you can't deny that it's had a huge impact on games in general -- not just on MMORPGs but on the very landscape of what games are and how we think about them.

So it's kind of natural that we'd start asking if we'd all be better off without it. You live with the same title dominating the industry for a decade, so it's only natural to think about what it'd be like if it weren't there.

Personally, I think that's a kind of loaded question that also overlooks a far niftier option. Asking whether we'd be better off first requires one to figure out what the world would look like without World of Warcraft, and for my money that's much more interesting. So let's look at just that. What sort of scenarios might have unfolded if World of Warcraft had never come to pass at all?
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activisionalternate-historiesanetanniversariesarenanetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxeq-2eq-iieq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iif2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgenreguild-warsgwhitsmiscellaneousmmo industrymmo-environmentmmo-industryncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiospossibilitiessoesonysony-online-entertainmentspeculationsubgenresuccesssuccessessuperherosuperheroeswarcraftworld of warcraftworld-of-warcraftwowWed, 05 Feb 2014 13:00:00 -0500319|20818741https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/08/a-mild-mannered-reporter-2013-in-review-for-heroes/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/08/a-mild-mannered-reporter-2013-in-review-for-heroes/https://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/08/a-mild-mannered-reporter-2013-in-review-for-heroes/#comments

2013 was the first year in which City of Heroes didn't exist. The masses of hero fans cried out in anticipation of a new game but found nothing. All there was to be found was a deafening silence and three other games that scratched similar itches but didn't quite manage to hit the same heights.

But we've talked about that as much as it can be discussed, and quite frankly I'm more interested in the now. We've got three titles that are still duking it out, trying to find their voices, and so forth. And then we have the header of Plan Z, which covers several different projects but at the same time serves as an interesting look at the community as a whole.

So in the wake of a quiet December, let's look back at 2013 for the major titles and for the hopefuls. It was a year in which quite a bit happened, not all of it good, but it was still one that might have a big impact on the future of the superhero MMO field.
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a mild-mannered reportera-mild-mannered-reporteractionaction-mmochampionschampions onlinechampions-onlinechampscity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-titanscity-of-villainscocohconsoleconsolescotcovcoxcrowdfundingcrypticcryptic-studiosdc universe onlinedc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgazilliongazillion-entertainmentindiekickstartermarvelmarvel heroesmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermissing-worldsmissing-worlds-mediammo industrymuoncsoftnews itemsopinionparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentplaystation-3playstation3ps3pwesecret-identitysoesony-online-entertainmentsuper-herosuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 08 Jan 2014 19:00:00 -0500319|20800911https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/15/one-shots-breaking-news/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/15/one-shots-breaking-news/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/15/one-shots-breaking-news/#comments

This just in! We've received reports that caped crusaders are beating the ever-loving crap out of a villain literally 12 feet in front of us! Seriously, if we could just turn these news cameras a little to the right, you'd see the whole thing, but for now you'll just have to take our word for it. Sponsored by Doritos.

Reader Sean submitted this particular gem: "I used to play quite a bit of Champions Online from closed beta through about four months after launch. Before the dark times. Before the patches. Here I am laying the smackdown on Foxbat during his 15 minutes of fame -- surely not what he had in mind."

Ha ha! Surely not there, Sean! Now for a word from our sponsors, and by that we mean more excellent player-submitted screenshots.
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age of conanage-of-conanage-of-conan-unchainedanetaocaoc-unchainedarenanetbring-back-one-shotschampionschampions onlinechampions-onlinechampscity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-villainscocohconancovcoxcrypticcryptic-studiosculturef2pfantasyfree-to-playfreedomfuncomgalleriesgalleryguild warsguild-warsgwhumorhyboriamiscellaneousncsoftone shotsone-shotsparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpics-or-it-didnt-happenpwereader-screenshotsreader-submissionsscreenshotscreenshotssuperherosuperheroesunchaineduser-submissionsSun, 15 Dec 2013 10:00:00 -0500319|20785021https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/03/the-soapbox-seriously-we-have-enough-fantasy-mmos/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/03/the-soapbox-seriously-we-have-enough-fantasy-mmos/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/03/the-soapbox-seriously-we-have-enough-fantasy-mmos/#comments

Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea.

We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore.

It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring.
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action-mmoactivisionaionanetarenanetascensionbethesdabethesda-softworksbethsoftblizzardblizzard-entertainmentblueholebluehole-studiosbrowserbrowser-basedbuy-to-playccpccp-gamescity of heroescity-of-heroescity-of-villainsclassic-mmocohcovcoxcrypticcryptic-studiosdaggerfalldc universe onlinedndeaeditorialelder-scrollselder-scrolls-onlineelectronic-artsen-masseen-masse-entertainmentesoeveeve onlineeve-onlineeverquest nextf2pfactionsfallen earthfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgalaxiesguild-wars-2gw2historicalinternet-spaceshipsjagexjagex-games-studiol1lineagelineage-1lord-britishmiscellaneousmmo industrymmorpgmobamorrowindmythicmythic-entertainmentncsoftneverwinteroblivionop-edopinionparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpvppwerantrantsriftrsrunescapervrsandboxsci-fiskyrimsoapboxsoesony-online-entertainmentspreadsheets-onlinestar-warsstar-wars-galaxiessuperherosuperheroesswgswgotamrieltanktanksteratestesothe elder scrolls onlinethe soapboxthe-elder-scrollsthe-elder-scrolls-onlinethe-soapboxthree-faction-pvpthree-way-pvptruly-freeultimaultima onlineuowarwarcraftwargaming.networld of tanksworld of warcraftworld-of-tanksworld-of-warcraftwotwowzenimaxzenimax-mediazenimax-onlinezenimax-online-studiosTue, 03 Dec 2013 15:00:00 -0500319|20780191https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/01/heroes-and-villains-shares-character-creator-details/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/01/heroes-and-villains-shares-character-creator-details/https://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/01/heroes-and-villains-shares-character-creator-details/#comments

One of the applicants for the position of City of Heroes' spiritual successor, Heroes and Villains, has new details regarding its character creator to share as well as several pieces of concept art from the game.

Players will start their journey in the character creator by picking an alignment (hero, villain, or freelancer) which will determine the type of stories that they'll experience. Apparently, alignment isn't permanent, but can be changed over time via actions. The next steps for a budding superhero will be to pick an origin, an archetype, power themes, non-combat skills, positive and negative traits, an optional secret identity, and visuals for the hero's body and costume.

You can check out what some of the costumes and game locales may look like as well as the first shot of the character creator in the gallery below.

Google's Executive Chairman, Eric Schmidt, was at the Chinese University of Hong Kong earlier today to launch a local entrepreneurship program with the institute. As a man who believes in free and open internet to aid startups and innovation, the exec was happy to give an update on North Korea and Myanmar since he last visited there to promote better web access. For the former, Schmidt joked that no one called him back since the phones there still don't work for local folks.

"North Korea is the most isolated country in the world. 23 million people, a million phones, they talk within the country but not out," Schmidt said. "You cannot get information in and out of the country, it's a terrible disservice to the citizens of the country."

The exec continued that he can't tell if his visit had any impact at all: soon after he attempted to convince Kim Jong-un's government "to open up to a little bit of the internet," its recent territorial dispute with South Korea held back progress.